New Delhi: Pope Leo XIV has come out as a crusader in the fight against artificial intelligence. In his latest encyclical, he warns of the dangers of AI use and draws a parallel between the “new digital slaveries” and historical slavery.
“It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many,” wrote the head of the Catholic Church, while also asking for pardon for the church’s role in slavery.
The letter titled “Magnifica Humanitas”, a Latin phrase meaning magnificent humanity, is the first major teaching document of Pope Leo’s papacy since assuming office in 2025. Pope Leo’s goes beyond the technological questions of AI and focuses instead on how it is a crisis for humanity.
“Artificial intelligence already touches many areas of our lives and affects decisions that shape human co-existence. I feel entrusted to look upon another huge transformation with eyes of faith, with lucidity of reason, with openness to mystery and with cries of the poor and the earth resounding in my heart,” the manifesto read.
He said that the root of the AI problem was a technocratic and post-humanist mentality that sees the human as an object to be manipulated or a resource.
The ‘Babel syndrome’
Apart from calling for a series of principles to be applied to the development of AI, the pope also said that the world was at risk of building a “Tower of Babel”. According to the Bible, the tower explains how humanity’s unified language was shattered into multiple tongues across the world.
In the letter, Pope Leo says that technology is never neutral because it is based on the characteristics of those who developed and use it.
“The primary choice is not between a “yes” or “no” to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence,” the pope said.
He added that the story of Babel is a warning against the technology that “dominates and ultimately dehumanises.”
The 235-page booklet was released alongside Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah at the Vatican. Olah said that he had spoken with 15 different religious leaders and believed the implications of AI went beyond scientific questions. Speaking to CNN, he expressed concern about human growth and “what a good world looks like”.
“One of the most powerful forces that can resist that and instead cause a race to the top is when lots of people who care about the right thing happening are deeply engaged and paying attention and understanding the situation. And I hope that there can be more of that going forward from all parts of society,” Olah said.
The letter also spoke about the threat of “transhumanism”, which believes that technology can help a person overcome physical and biological limitations, as well as the threat of “post-humanism.”
This was, however, not the first time the pope has spoken against the rising threat of AI. In the past, he has warned against the popularity of “overly affectionate” chatbots and urged priests not to use AI for writing their sermons. In June 2025, Pope Leo also called for an ethical AI framework.